@kodawari.sensei: The Japanese you picked up from anime might be costing you. Anime drops the suffix constantly. Copy that and you sound very rude. さん — everyone, always safe. Older, younger, any gender, even a first meeting. くん — younger boys, or boys in your own year. Use it upward and it stings. ちゃん — kids, or someone very close. Try it on a new adult and they freeze. 先輩 — anyone who got there before you. It can replace the name itself. No suffix at all — family, or a truly close friend. A textbook tells you さん means Mr. or Ms. It is really the switch that sets the distance between two people. Your KODAWARI Sensei is a founder, an engineer, a marketer — and a nurse, an HR coordinator, a company director. People who use these names all day at work. Most Sensei offer a $1 first lesson. Link in bio. #learnjapanese #japanesehonorifics #animejapanese #nihongo #japaneseculture

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Monday 21 September 2026 22:17:00 GMT